Submarine fire-related damage less than reported

The submarine will be repaired by June 2014, Rogozin told

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MOSCOW, April 23 (Itar-Tass) — First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said on Monday the damage from the fire on the Yekaterinburg strategic nuclear power submarine is less than the mass media reported. "The submarine will be repaired by June 2014," he told journalists.

The repairs have been running according to schedule. "In July, a full damage estimate will be carried out. Our experts told me that we've found a technological solution, i.e. the necessary instruments. The submarine is not new, some instruments, such as a particular model of hydro acoustic system, are no longer manufactured.

"But we found a new system at a storage facility. This will decrease the cost of repairs by almost twice. The submarine will be fully repaired, and its operation will be extended by five years.

"It will be repaired by June 29014, and will be in service until late 2018," Rogozin said.

Earlier, he said the sum of damage reached 500 million roubles.

The deputy prime minister elaborated on the investigation into the incident that resulted in the fire on board the submarine. The Investigative Committee has already completed the demolition and fire expert examinations, and the service regulations expert examination is still underway.

An interdepartmental working group under the military-industrial commission of the Russian government is analyzing all the documents on works and maintenance on the submarines of this class.

"This work will be completed not sooner than the end of the third quarters," Rogozin said.

A fire at a dry dock of repair plant # 82 in the village of Roslyakovo, Murmansk region, where the submarine had been brought, occurred at around 16:20, Moscow time, on December 29. Reports said wooden scaffolding around the vessel caught fire and spread to hull insulation. To put out the blaze, the submarine had to submerge.

The fire was fully extinguished on December 30. Nine people were injured. The Investigative Committee opened a criminal case under Article 374 of Russia's Criminal Code /negligent destruction or damage of military property/.

The Yekaterinburg submarine will be repaid at the Zvyozdochka repair plant in Severodvinsk, the company's spokeswoman Nadezhda Shcherbinina earlier told Tass.

K-84 Yekaterinburg is a strategic nuclear-powered submarine of Project 667 BDRM "Delfin." It was built at the Sevmash shipyard and added to the Navy's arsenal on December 30, 1985.

The submarine is 166 meters long; its width is 12 meters, and displacement - 19,000 tons. It can carry 16 R-29RM ballistic missiles.